Osgood's Point
by annotation
Summary: Why does the Master want? Why do the things S/he does? What is the Point? Wrote this at the request of my other half who was unhappy with the last episode of season 8 and wanted a better ending for a Character that in some ways represents the many fans who watch the show.


Cold eyes watched the display intently... for all the increasingly theatrical attempt at emotion she had to admit, even if only to herself, feelings were not something that ran strong in her mind, or soul, or whatever.

On the screen his eyes, mercurially dancing between fun loving and mischievous and sad and old, studied the metallic man, raising a hand in salute and watching as the figure launched itself into the air on its ridicules rocket shoes. Practical possibly... but they looked funny... almost enough to bring a small smile to her cold, hard lips. Almost.

The room was dark and cold, illuminated only by the light from the display... how very apt thought the mind that controlled this place as the picture changed abruptly. He was curly haired in this display, ridiculous curls that made him look like a shaggy mop... and that coat- what had he been thinking when he picked that coat? Was he trying to gain a reputation as the worst dressed man in all time and space? She wondered why he had chosen those garish colors... black had been her own choice for so many lives, mainly because it was simple and went with everything and, honestly, she had never found any other colors that suited her. He, though, thought he looked good all dressed like a rainbow... and amazingly he somehow carried it off.

She considered raising her voice to call for the sample but found herself too lazy, instead just thinking the command to the unfeeling machines around her.

The room held another presence at her unspoken command... she smiled thinly as she sensed the fear in the other. Funny, fear was one of the easiest emotions to elicit and too read and the only one that she could empathize with strongly. It was absolutely delicious.

"Hello girlfriend..."

Silence, she turned, letting her cold eyes scan the creature who stood before her, its shoulders pulled close-its own eyes were big and wide and reminded her of a rabbit caught in the gaze of a fox and knowing there was no escape. A stupid rodent... no, that memory which gave her no rest corrected the thought, rabbits were not rodents. As she let the time pass, she waited for the creature to grow more fearful... instead something wonderful happened. When you grew as old as her the unexpected as always a wonderful thing...the creature stopped trembling and met her gaze with a show of calm which it almost felt.

"Your not afraid...?" She made her voice playful but sharp, "Do you know where you are?"

"Your Tardis." She puffed on that ridicules medical device, "You must have transported me here."

"Clever..." she nodded, "Very clever... I wonder ... " She snapped her mouth shut, best not let it know too much, not yet... perhaps it would surprise her again?

Missy felt a wave of that pleasure as the creature studied her, setting its jaw in a determined line, "Well?"

"Well... what?"

"What do you want?" it clutched the inhaler tighter to hide its nerves.

"What makes you think I want anything?"

"I'm alive." those big, herbivore eyes were moving around now, looking for something, anything useful... it was undoubtedly smart but she suspected that there was more then brains in the choice that had been made.

"Oh... perhaps I just want to play with you a bit." she let her eyes roll disturbingly.

Its own eyes widened in panic at her words, but only for a moment, it obviously felt pretty sure of its line of reasoning, "I'm not important enough... no, you want something from me."

Missy nodded, twirling her hand for it to continue talking. She really was surprised at how much fun this creature was providing. Was that what The Doctor saw in them? Fun? Entertainment?

"And what, pray tell, might a being like myself want from such a creature as yourself?" Ahh, good, she saw the underlying uncertainty that Osgood felt about herself bubble up to the surface... the girl stepped back, trying to shrink herself a little more but her eyes were moving around the dark control room... fixing on the display which currently showed the Doctor in his second incarnation doing something in some tunnels... Missy's mind had misplaced the details of those events- something to do with Yeti or Yogi's or some such nonsense. He was talking to some young person- he enjoyed the company of the young though compared to him that was practically anyone.

"Perhaps I just want to kill you again." Misty licked her lips, flashing strong teeth, "It was over so fast last time that I _**hardly**_ enjoyed it at all... that's the good thing about being a Time Lord- you can do things again and again until you get them right."

Osgood's eyes were big as saucers as she struggled to get her fear under control... "Time Lord? I thought you'd be a Time Lady or something now."

Actually the girl was doing a pretty good job of controlling that ridiculous heath Robison style mid brain humans had... it was fascinating really, the way their brains worked when they were just one layer piled onto of another. Missy was sure she would have come up with a better design, one that would have been much more predicable.

Missy grinned, this was actually fun "Ten..."

Osgood shuddered as the countdown began, eyes scanning the control room for some means of escape- ofcorse there was none. Nothing but the consol with the silent display over it, the scean changed to the Doctor driving a ridiculous wheeled contraption at high speed.

"Nine..." Missy felt her twin hearts speed as she watched the fear grow in Osgood, she wondered what it would be like to actually feel fear herself but dismissed that idea as unworkable and probably not as much fun either, "Eight..."

"Your watching him...you watch him all the time...in time...in all time..." She was casting about, hoping to hook an idea.

"Seven." The Doctor being shown wore a big leather jacket and ran down a corridor holding hands with that dumb blond girl... what had he seen in her? what did he see in any of them?

"Six..." Missy flexed her fingers, showing long, sharp looking nails and flashed a toothy grin- monkey brains just didnt like to see that white flash that had meant death for their be-tailed ancestors, "Five..."

"You want to know stuff only I would know about the Doctor...because I'm his biggest fan..." The face brightened, "...and I know everything about him..." The display changed to an alien planet where a rather decrepit 1st incarnation of the doctor moved through a strange jungle, a silver skinned alien at his side... they were deep in conversation and the old man waved his hands irritably. The picture changed to a little girl putting a plate of bacon in front of a later incarnation.

"_Almost_ everything about him..." Osgood amended, "and you have your Chronoscope thing...so Uhm...Uhm..."

"Four...Times almost up...three..."

"So really I dont know anything and you dont really care about ME ... so... so.."

"Two..."

"So...why... so why me... so...Oh...Oh ...OH!" she grinned, suddenly overwhelmed by her own cleverness, "So WHY ME?" She looked like she was about to begin some kind of air punching monkey dance so Missy raised an eyebrow to forestall her.

"He was going to take me... with him..." The girl got a look, all excitement, wistfulness and smug self satisfaction at once, "And you want to know why...why he chose ME..."

"Rather then one of the other five billion monkeys on Earth ?... Yes. What makes you special?" Missy stepped forwards, circling the other and looking her over, "Your cleaver...for a human, and your brave... I already know he likes that... and you have that lovely touch of delicious doubt in yourself so you'd have hero worshiped him. He does like that, you know...very vain is the Doctor... but why _**you**_? Your species does look so very like people...but why _**you**_ instead of Katie dear, or that other science geek, or..."

"Or YOU!" Osgood clapped her hands exuberantly for a moment before Missy's expression cowed her, "So when you...ugh...killed me you...no...you...Uhh, you transported me here? Something like that?"

Missy nodded encouragingly, "_**Something**_ like that Dearie...so... how do I find out what I want to know?" She smiled, patting the girl on her, yes, she decided this was a _her_... such an interesting creature deserved to be thought of as at least something like a person. Not being able to slice such ephemeral information as she sought from the soft warm brain behind that big eyed face was almost a relief to Missy. Almost...she was, it had to be admitted, just a tad prone to boredom and who knew how long this might take?

"What does he see in you?"

Osgood found herself thinking a very clear thought- _**what is the point**__?_

For some reason it seamed at that moment the most important question in the world.

She had no idea why.

oooooooooooo

Osgood opened her eyes, groaning as she rolled over on the hard floor. Memory hit her... strong hands holding her... she had been trying to bargain for her life. The plane was jolting and Missy was loose. Panic jerked her upright and her hands flapped as she simultaneously tried to ward off danger and hug close to shrink her size.

"Careful now..." The voice was soft, non threatening. It sounded kind, but with an under note of grumpy irascibility as if someone was bothering its owner while they were wanting to be doing something else entirely.

Her eyes moved around the medium sized room, scanning the almost familiar console, the walls covered with those round things, coat rack against one wall. She frowned, recent memory and current situation not meeting as she opened and closed her mouth like a fish, blinking as she looked unbelievingly at the man before her "How... here... How can I be here when Missy... the Master...with you...I never met...Your... your the First-"

"Shh..." he put a finger over his lips, large eyes twinkling with mischief in the heavily lined face as they scanned her and came to rest on the scarf "Spoilers!"

Chapter Two

"Be careful!" The Doctor's eyes were tense with concern as he watched Osgood lift the ax above his shackled hands. They were in a dingy room, lit only by the small window set high above them in the sandstone ceiling.

"I'll try..." She said, grimacing with worry, "I'm not very good with sharp things..."

"Excellent my dear, why dont you say something else to make me feel better?" He snapped irritably.

"Well, when I saw you you had two hands..." She said, a hopeful smile playing across her lips, "So I can hardly have cut one off here...now... unless... Ohh...never mind." She withered under his disapproving look, tapping the ax head weakly at the chain that held the links around his wrist with the ax.

"Keep up the good work..." He said dourly, "Perhaps we shall be free in time for my next regeneration..."

"Grumpy... old and... Grumpy." She brought the shaft down hard, hitting the edge of the band and breaking it off.

"Excellent..." He looked at his hands as if to check that they were still attached.

"I really think I like you more when your -"

"Be silent you fool!" he snapped, "Haven't I already told you a dozen times?"

"Yes..." She nodded, scowling and mouthing silently _'You could disrupt the whole balance of Space and time if you give me foreknowledge...Space and time! Time and Space! Munghh!_

"I heard that!" he remarked sharply as he rose with shaky knees to his feet.

"Thought this would be more fun." She muttered softly, pulling her jacket closer around herself against the cold in the chamber.

"I'm sure I grow into a veritable barrel of laughs and fun." he growled, "But since YOU are the interloper here in MY time I suppose you will simply have to cope."

"Grumpy old teenager." Osgood muttered under her breath, The Doctor pretended not to hear as he scanned the wall.

"I think... that if you climb up that wall you could drop the rope and then pull me up." He pointed.

"Me climb?" she looked at the route he indicated in disbelief.

"Well, I can hardly do so can I?" He made that annoying noise that he always claimed not to make, making shooing motions with his hand, Well... hurry up then! Quickly!"

ooooooooooooooooo

Later, after a quick bath in the Tardis Osgood felt much better, rubbing her hair with a towel as she walked down the corridor to her room dressed in a thick warm robe. She felt the slight vibration under her bare toes that told her that the Tardis was underway again. The old man, this First Doctor, had proved unpredictable in the three weeks she had been with him... some times he would 'park' mere hours or minuets before moving on... on the planet of the Brain Eating Space Aztec's he'd decided to spend a week. During all their time together he had refused to let her talk about how she had come to be here,( or perhaps it was _'Now_'?) with him. This left her wondering, since one moment she had been standing in the unloving arms of The Master in his female form, and the next here... in the past.

How had it happened? She had no idea, perhaps this was what The Master did with all the people She, (he? S/He? Hse?), killed? That made no sense though... the Doctors time line would have been overwhelmed with visitors. It occurred to her that she didnt actually know how that might work out- she had rather hoped that the Doctor would have explained the physics of that sort of thing, along with perhaps some of the minor secrets of the universe, but so far he only seamed interested in popping up in some strange place to see what was going on. That and tea... he was obsessed with different types of tea and seamed to have a room full of different types which he was brewing up whenever he had a moment spare. She wondered how his bladder held up considering how much of the damn stuff he drank.

She frowned, playing his words over in his mind... the worlds he'd spoken on the plane. All of space and time had sounded much cooler... even the Tardis looked a little grey. She heard his voice as she walked past the control room and smiled, he was talking to himself again, that crotchety old voice was actually quite endearing, somehow. He was making notes something into that ancient Dictaphone... his memoirs or something like that. She stopped, listening to him speak.

"She is surprisingly adaptive...yes, yes, I begin to see why I chose her as a companion..." Osgood smiled, flushing with pride at the compliment, listening as he continued.

"Despite the obvious limitations of her forebrain she somehow manages to

survive, even proving useful on occasion during my current misadventures... though why I should desire to find myself in such ridiculous situations is still something of a mystery... The Randomizer Circuit is working as anticipated."

She grinned to herself heading onwards to her cabin, however as she walked a sudden sense of unease fell upon her, growing stronger and stronger with each step. The feeling wasnt exactly fear, more of a gnawing conviction that she had forgotten something... it was almost like the time that she had left the Bunsen burner lit all night in the college lab, finding it, to her immense embarrassment, burning on the bench the next day.

What had she forgotten? Was it something to do with the last adventure? She was seized with a panic... was she carrying some kind of Mind Parasite? Had she done something to alter time? Were they even now in terrible danger? What was the matter?

_What was the point?_

Meanwhile in the Consol room the First Doctor looked over at the red light which had illuminated, raising an eyebrow with surprise and stalking quickly to the consol to inspect what the instruments were saying.

He made an irritated sound, "Now that was unexpected...at least so soon." he drummed his fingers on the consol, thinking. After he moment he shrugged, reaching into his pocket and feeling around as if for something.

ooooooooooooooooo

Osgood opened her eyes yawning as she stretched out in her bed with a sleepy smile. Such a nice dream, the Doctor had come and...her eyes scanned the room and she grinned wider, jumping out of bed and throwing on her clothes as if it was Christmass morning. The Tardis had landed and as she jogged into the control room Osgood wondered where they might be.

"Oh..." the figure behind the consol was shorter, much stockier then she expected. Blinking for a moment she tried to reconcile the difference.

"Hello..." He looked her over suspiciously, circling around the consol to keep it between them, "How did you get in here?"

ooooooooooooooo

Osgood panted, throwing herself around the corner and drawing a deep breath as The Doctor skidded around a moment later, scarf flying behind him.

"Well... that went well... considering..." he panted, shaking his mass of curly hair.

"Considering!" She laughed, still breathing hard as they gathered themselves before jogging the last hundred yards to the Tardis. She stood aside as he used his key to open the door, slamming it shut behind them as something hard and heavy hit it.

She was laughing as she slipped off her worn coat, tossing it over the coat rack and running a hand through her long hair... she sighed, isolating the grey streak with her fingers and twisting it around before her eyes for examination.

"That was fun..." The Fourth Doctor laughed, hitting the leaver to set them adrift in time and space again.

"Its no wonder I have grey hair already." She wrapped the red ribbon he had given her around it, feeling the alien technology adjust itself to a fit just perfect for hold and comfort. How long had she had it? Years...two, maybe three? Osgood walked over to the looking glass near the door, studying her face, looking at the fine lines around her eyes and mouth. She had been with this Doctor for two years now, a year with third, a little under three with the second...a brief stay with the giant one... the annoying one had been another mercifully short stay... always jumping around between the Doctors for no reason she could understand- her hair was getting grayer and it hurt her vanity, small as it was.

_What's the point? Point of what? Gray hair?_

"Doctor...?" What is the point?

"Yes?" She loved to hear that deep voice, even though he wasnt in her reflected view she knew exactly what he was doing, checking the readouts and picking somewhere to visit.

"How long do you normally keep you companions?" She primped her lips, blowing herself a kiss then scrunched her nose and wrinkled it at herself.

"We'll... I once kept a Cyber man head around for three hundred years..."

"Why?" Something nagged at her consciousness, a strong feeling that she had forgotten something very important.

"Now there is a question..." he was looking at her now, she knew, probably with that questioning look. She chewed her lower lip wondering why she suddenly felt fear.

"Why do you keep me around?" she blinked back tears, wondering how many times she had asked that question.

"I dont really know..." he mused, "I suppose because your fun... you add a certain randomness to my adventures you know. Oh..." he glanced over at where the red light on the consol lit, "Ohh...your doing _that_ again?...Oh well...easy to fix..."

"Why are you doing this to me? What's the point?"

"Shush now..." he was walking up behind her.

"Please!" she heard his footsteps stop but she didnt turn around, "Please, wait...wait a bit."

"Why?" He sounded sad, and a little petulant, like a spoilt child who's favorite toy had run down its batteries, "A little sleep and you'll feel much better..." She saw the reflected glint of his screwdriver in the mirror, half hidden in his relaxed hand as he stood behind her. She looked at his reflection, blinking hard and trying to see, to really see.

His hand rested on her shoulder gently, and she was startled that she hadn't see his reflection move. She felt the cool touch of metal against the base of her skull.

"Please dont..." she spoke slowly, "Dont make me forget please..." she blinked, staring intently at his reflection, "I can tell you... If I tell you what you want to know will you let me go?"

He laughed, a deep booming laugh that sounded suddenly cold and cruel and as she turned her eyes studied him, staring intently at the familiar face and fascinated despite herself by the subtle changes. Blinking she shifted her eyes, trying to look with the edge of her vision.

"You know... you remind me of a girl I killed once, at the end of the universe... " he patted her cheek, shaking his head. "She was my deepest and dearest freind for... oh, I dont know, perhaps thirty years."  
>"What's your point?" she swallowed, mouth dry, Blinking and nodding as the Fourth Doctor shimmered and melted away to reveal Missy, "I'm already terrified."<p>

"If I did that to her, what do you think I'll do to you if you DONT tell me?"

"Your missing the point!" she shook her head angrily at herself "Your missing the point... just think how cleaver you are, way cleverer then me."

"Well... Yes." She smiled, a little too smugly.

"So, then why do you need me?"  
>"For what?"<p>

"I mean, your probably as clever as the Doctor, the Real Doctor..." Again that smug look, so she went on, "So why do you spend all your time...well...mooning about after HIM LIKE SOME LOVESICK SCHOOLGIRL?" the sarcasm in her own voice surprised Osgood as much as it did Missy.

"What?" Missy spluttered, furious. Osgood took a moment and a small part of her mind to admire how well she had played the part of the Doctor, it must have been hard with that rage and overwhelming smugness bubbling down just below the surface, and for _years_ at that. Playing someone as kind and gentle as the Doctor must have been hard.

"Ask the question." Osgood raised her inhaler and took a nervous puff.

"You know the question." Missy glanced, waving a hand at the red light on the consol, "You remember everything."

"Please..." She shook her head, impatient, "WHAT was the question?"  
>"What does he see in you... any of you monkeys... YOU in particular- why did he pick YOU?"<p>

Osgood shook her head, "Wrong question... what you need to ask is what do WE see in HIM." she spoke fast, "What do you see in him that you spend... ten years? More...?" She touched her own face, feeling the lines, " Playing at being him... all those plots and plans... its really a bit sad dont you think? Just a teeny bit pathetic...? No?" She inhaled sharply as Missy gripped a goodly hank of hair and twisted.

"Get to the good part dearie, Mummy's getting bored."

"You asked what does he see in US...you SHOULD be asking what do_** you**_ see in him." Osgood squeaked as the pressure on her hair increased, "He wants to enjoy the world through our eyes... he wants to see us enjoy things so that he can enjoy them through us... and that's what your missing."

"I already knew that, dearie..." Missy made a face, "He's old... you cant imagine how old and dull he really is."

"No...no, you dont...understand." Osgood howled as Missy jerked her hair, dragging her to the ground, "You dont feel things, not like normal people do, because your all broken and wonky inside." she hissed in pain as Missy leaned closer, eyes holding just a hint of interest, and went on rapidly, "When you killed that girl you were telling me about, I bet you didnt feel anything did you?"

"Why would I? She wasnt important or anything..."

"Case in point!" She actually managed a harsh bark of laughter, "You cant feel anything can you? That's why you need HIM... so you can have some reflected emotions...feel what he feels."

The pressure on her hair lessened abruptly, Missy stepping back looking thoughtful and nodding a little.

That was after all what she had been trying to remember all this time-_the point._

_The point, in geometry has no dimensions of its own._

All measurements were between at least two things...Osgood's mind ran over the scene from _Flat Land, _her favorite book when she was a little girl, where A Square was shown the Point... a being unable to believe in anything outside its own seemingly endless all encompassing self.

A person wrapped up in themselves made an awfully small package...

"You know... that actually makes sense...in a funny sort of way. I wonder why I didnt think of it?"

Osgood considered pointing out that self centered megalomania didnt lend itself to self discovery, but decided no one liner was worth the very slim chance she had of staying alive.

"I Suppose _**that's**_ why I did it..." Missy smiled, a serenity that Osgood had not seen before settling on her face, as she fixed the human in her gaze, "Thank you... thank you for being such a great help."

Osgood was about to ask if that meant being murdered was temporarily off the menu when Missy snapped back into action, turning to go and waving a metal cylinder as she went.

"End program."

Osgood watched everything, including herself, dissolve.


End file.
